Articles

A Hero's Tale: Part I

There are a thousand stories in the naked city. Unfortunately, I live in Paragon City, where people wear clothes. Bright, tight-fitting clothes. And masks. Or robotic arms. They call it the City of Heroes, and today I'm one of them.

Like many heroes, I was created in a lab. But not in the way you'd think. I was a scientist, perfecting enhanced close-range weaponry to help soldiers during the intense toe-to-toe combat they find themselves in thanks to modern guerilla warfare. We studied the martial arts, and we looked into modifying ancient melee weaponry for use on the modern battlefield. I worked nights, worked weekends. My only dates were with Pay-Per-View.

But when corporate headquarters decided to terminate our 401(k) matching benefits, I snapped. Popped like a volcano. Of all the heroes in the city, nobody stood up to avenge the nefarious blunders of sinister Human Resources departments. I grabbed our advanced Katana prototype and cut a hole into the wall of our conference room during a board meeting. One little mistake. Cause a double-digit drop in your company's stock price and suddenly you're out on the street. That's how I became a fulltime superhero. Fighting for truth! Justice! And stock options! But I kept the sword.

[Game Notes: Inside the world of City of Heroes, it's up to you to decide how your character became a superhero and how he fights. For my hero, I chose a technological background, meaning he uses gadgets or technology as the source of his power. I also chose the "scrapper" archetype, meaning he'd specialize in up-close combat. One beauty of the game is that it doesn't limit you: a technological character using an ancient weapon? Hey, it could happen in comics, so it can happen here!]

This was no ordinary Katana. Nanomachines on the surface of the blade are constantly sharpening it, even in the midst of combat. It can cut through steel like it was whipping cream. When it comes in contact with metal -- such as body armor -- nanites on the blade's edge will eat away at the target steel and graft it onto the sword, meaning my weapon is constantly getting stronger, heavier, and more deadly.

[Game Notes: Okay, I made all of that up. But it sure explains why my sword can mow down robots and why I get better with it each level. After coming up with your hero's story, you can type it in so that other players can see it when they look at your ID card. Not everyone does, but even in the beta players had put together neat personal histories. Because the game is so open and flexible, it seems to inspire creativity in the players.]

Matching shoulderpads help give even a wiry hero that "burly" look.

Choice of costume is the most important decision a superhero can make, second only to the decision to wear a cup into combat against roving midget sledgehammer gangs. Your costume is your identity; it's how people, good and bad, see you coming a mile away. So you have to do it up right. You don't want people shouting, "Look out! Here comes that guy with the pink booties!" That's just embarrassing.

Instead of a mask, I chose to shield my face with the ominous protection of a straw coolie hat. I also wear goggles that provide me with night vision and an integrated combat awareness display to help identify enemies during a melee. Color choice was important: red and gold? Classy! And it helps to differentiate me from Mortal Kombat's Raiden. How about the golden Yin-Yang on the front? You see, the Yin represents justice, honor, and comprehensive vision coverage. Yang represents the foul stench of corporate greed. You don't want to get on my Yang side. Then you're in for a Yang-Bang. What do you think about the baggy pants and gold wrapping on my wrists? Does this belt make my butt look big? Oh, stop.

Cyborg 7 shows off just how flexible the hero creator is.

[Game Notes: My character practically invented himself when I discovered you could wear a coolie hat. It's just one of about a dozen hats and hairstyles. There's also dozens of options for masks or face-paint, not to mention eyewear, and anything can be color coded to match your outfit. The Yin-Yang symbol on my chest is one of what seems like a hundred icons, again colored to the player's taste. There are trillions of costume combinations available. Checking out what people do with their costumes is part of the fun of the game. The beta featured one white-clad superhero with red gloves and boots named "Captain Canada." Another player, pictured right, used a gold and silver color scheme to create "Cyborg 7," which looks so great you'd think the character stepped right out of a graphic novel.]